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An easy to read guide on all things matchday related ahead of our match against SC Frieburg.

Kick off is 7:30pm.

Tickets

The Tommy McLean stand is open for home supporters to buy tickets.

The John Hunter Stand and Davie Cooper Stands are sold out, with extremely limited tickets available in the Phil O’Donnell Stand.

You can buy your tickets by CLICKING HERE.

The Ticket Office is open from 9am until kick off.

How to Watch

Our UEFA Conference League match against SC Freiburg will be available to watch via SolidSport.

The match is available to watch for £12.

You are able to purchase your matchday pass by CLICKING HERE.

Travel

We encourage supporters to arrive earlier than usual with a large home support expected.

Please plan your journey accordingly.

Other Information

For supporters seated in the Tommy McLean Stand, enter via turnstiles one and two and follow steward directions. These turnstiles will be open from 6:45pm.

Kiosks and toilets will be open.

There is a tifo prepared by our supporters for the players coming out the tunnel. At 6pm, supporters will be walking from Motherwell town centre up to Fir Park.

We want to remind all supporters that unacceptable conduct will not be tolerated. We ask all supporters to enjoy the match responsibly.

In UEFA matches, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body can issue and distribute a range of punishments against the football club, including fines, partial stadium bans, away ticket bans, etc.

The club has been fined over €20,000 so far during our Conference League matches. These fines have been distributed due to crowd-related issues that have been flagged by UEFA. Just one supporter coming over the barrier at the front of the stand constitutes a pitch incursion, and the club will be sanctioned once again.

We appeal to all our supporters to please adhere to all stadium guidelines to avoid further financial punishment for the club.

The use of pyrotechnics, pitch incursions, throwing objects, use of laser pointers and any discriminatory behaviour can result in any individual receiving a club ban, a football banning order as well as harsher punishments. We encourage all supporters to get behind the team on what is a huge European night for the football club in a safe and responsible manner.

Food & Drink

Mrs Baillie’s Fanzone will be open from 5pm for home fans only. Singer Niamh Morris will be providing live entertainment from 5:30pm.

The Cooper Bar will be open from 5pm for home fans only, providing food and drink. It will also be open for one hour post-match for those looking to avoid the traffic.

All kiosks will be open in the home stands. Card and cash are accepted.

Weather Forecast

The current forecast is to be a mostly dry evening in North Lanarkshire with light showers and a moderate breeze. Temperatures expected to be around 15 degrees come kick off.

Jake Girdwood-Reich previews the task of taking SC Freiburg, stating it’ll be one of the toughest games he’s ever been involved in.

The centre-back talks about his first few weeks in Scotland how and how he’s settling into life in ML1.

Alfred Johansson discusses Sunday’s disappointing result and how he wants his team to approach the game against Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in the UEFA Conference League playoff round. 

Johansson addresses his team selection and criticism he received following the exit to Stenhousemuir.

Alfred Johansson provided a squad update ahead of the UEFA Conference League playoff first leg match against SC Freiburg.

“Since last week, Oscar [Priestman] and Johnny [Koutroumbis] have been added to the list of load-related injury problems,” the Motherwell manager confirmed.

“They will be out for some time. We don’t know exactly the extent of it.

“Tom [Sparrow] is still suffering from the knock he got against Falkirk. It’s an unusual place where he got the hit, so we have to monitor it day-by-day, week-by-week. Right now, it’s too sore. We’ll have to assess him.

“We’re hoping he’ll [Seb Palmer-Houlden] be involved tomorrow. We’re waiting on international clearance; it should be very doable.”

Stephen O’Donnell, Eythor Bjørgolfsson and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos have all been added to our UEFA squad list for the playoff round.

Whilst they’re included in the overall squad list, Johansson confirmed that Bjørgolfsson and Stamatelopoulos are only building up in training and won’t be available tomorrow night, with the Motherwell manager stating that the three players being named in the squad list does not guarantee their inclusion in matchday squads for either leg.

Seb Palmer-Houlden has joined the club on a three-year deal from Gillingham for an undisclosed fee.

The striker arrives for a second stint in Scotland following a season with Dundee in 2024/25.

“We’ve been looking to strengthen in the forward areas, and Seb is a perfect addition,” Alfred Johansson said.

“With experience here in Scotland, Seb has been playing and scoring at his previous clubs and offers pace, strength and versatility in the forward line. We hope to be able to include him in our Conference League squad for the matches against SC Freiburg.

“The squad has come together nicely, and with some players working their way back from injury, we will have real competition across the pitch in all positions.”

Palmer-Houlden joined the Bristol City Academy at the age of eight and remained with the Robins until 2025. His time at City included a number of loan moves, including to Chippenham Town, Yeovil, Newport County and Dundee. His time with Chippenham and Yeovil was brief, but his big breakthrough came with Newport County in 2023/24.

Playing 42 games, the forward scored nine goals, with his side finishing mid-table and Palmer-Houlden winning Newport County Young Player of the Year.

Palmer-Houlden then joined Dundee on loan for the 24/25 season and made a fast start in the City of Discovery, scoring five goals in his first seven games. Starting 20 of his 39 appearances during his year in Scotland, his performances earned him a permanent move from Bristol City to Gillingham for an undisclosed fee last summer.

His full season at Priestfield Stadium saw him feature 35 times, which included finding the back of the net five times. He played two games this season for the League Two side before penning a two-year deal with the Steelmen.

“I’m so happy to be back in Scotland and, most importantly, at Motherwell,” said Seb Palmer-Houlden.

“It’s no secret about how well this club is doing right now, and the people I’ve spoken to within the club have been so friendly and helpful. It’s already feeling like such a family club.

“Speaking to the manager, he’s made it clear what he wants me to do, and that clarity is so important. I think every footballer would want to play in a team like this, so I feel really privileged to be given this opportunity.

“We have a massive game on Thursday night here, and I can’t wait to see this stadium packed out.”

Ticket and match information have now been confirmed for the second leg of our UEFA Conference League tie against SC Freiburg. 

The match will kick off at 18:45pm local time at the Europa-Park-Stadion. (5:45pm UK Time)

Tickets are on sale and can buy yours by CLICKING HERE.

Supporters can buy a maximum of four tickets per order. We have been given over 2000 tickets to sell.

Prices

Stadium Information

• The stadium and ticket offices open 2 hours before kick-off.
• At the Europa-Park Stadium, payment is possible in cash or by card.
• Next to the ticket office at entrance E4, there is a bag drop-off option.
• Travel information to the stadium can be found here: [Anreise & Parken | SC Freiburg]
• The stadium regulations can be found here: [Stadionordnung | SC Freiburg]

Motherwell take on SC Freiburg in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League playoff round on Thursday 20 August. 

Kick off is 7:30pm at Fir Park.

How to follow the game

Season Ticket holders have until 12 noon on Tuesday 18^th Aug to secure their own seat.

Information surrounding the second leg will be communicated shortly.

You can buy yours by CLICKING HERE.

The Ticket Office will be open from 9am until kick off.

Watch Live

The match will be broadcast live on SolidSport.

You can buy your matchday pass by CLICKING HERE.

What else is happening?

Mrs Baillie’s Fanzone will be open from 5pm for home fans only. Singer Niamh Morris will be providing live entertainment from 5:30pm.

The Cooper Bar will be open from 5pm for home fans only, providing food and drink. It will also be open for one hour post-match for those looking to avoid the traffic.

Hospitality

91 Lounge is SOLD OUT.

Centenary Suite

• 2-course meal
• Main stand seating
• Half-time tea/coffee and pie
• Pay bar facility
• Match programme and team sheet

Price: £60pp

12 and under: £30 (kids meal) 

Cooper Box

• 2 x complimentary drinks served to your box pre-match
• Access to Cooper Suite pre-match, half-time and at full-time for refreshments
• Half-time buffet served in the Cooper Suite
• Indoor seat in an executive Cooper Box
• Match programme and team sheet

Price: £60pp

12 and under: £30

Dress code for all areas is smart – no jeans, trainers or colours permitted. To book, please phone our hospitality team on 01698 338003 or email: hospitality@motherwellfc.co.uk

Weather Forecast

Temperatures will be around the 14 degree mark for kick off, with periods of rain throughout the day. Humidity is expected to be around 77%.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

The Steelmen suffered their first competitive defeat of the season under Alfred Johansson on Sunday against Stenhousemuir.

A disappointing afternoon will have to be put behind the squad quickly as they prepare to face SC Freiburg for the chance to play in the league phase of a European competition for the first time ever.

Opposition Report

The narrative surrounding our opponents has been mainly around how the Bundesliga side reached the Europa League final last season, before falling to a 3-0 defeat to Premier League Aston Villa in the final.

They produced some impressive performances on the road to the final, defeating sides such as Nice, Genk, Basel and Celta Vigo, and it rounded off a highly-successful season.

Under the stewardship of former captain Julian Schuster, Freiburg qualified for UEFA Conference League football by finishing 7th in the Bundesliga standings. In the DFB-Pokal cup, they reached the semi-finals, going to the hands of Stuttgart in extra-time.

Schuster has been in charge since 2024, and is adored by the Freiburg fanbase. He guided his beloved club to a fifth place finish in the 24/25 Bundesliga standings, and has managed to cope with a turnaround in the playing squad.

Freiburg and the Steelmen certainly have that in common this summer, waving goodbye to a number of key stars. Motherwell have lot Elijah Just for a club-record fee, Calum Ward moved to QPR and Elliot Watt moved to Turkey for an undisclosed fee. The German have also saw some of their talent move on.

Johan Manzambi joined Aston Villa for a club-record deal, rumoured to be around the €50 million mark. Merlin Röhl also moved to the Premier League with Everton.

And as some of their stars remain in the spotlight, recruitment has been key and amongst their ranks are some top performers.

Japanese star Yuito Suzuki moved from Brøndby to Freiburg in the summer of 2025, setting a new club-record sale for Danish side. The forward scored nine goals in his first season and represented his country at the World Cup this summer.

Another notable name in the forward area is Igor Matanovic who moved from fellow Bundesliga side Frankfurt in 2025. The Croatian international scored 15 goals in his maiden campaign and is highly regarded in Europe.

Going from the highs of qualifying for the playoff round in the UEFA Conference League, to the elimination of the Premier Sports Cup against Stenhousemuir was something manager Alfred Johansson said we should be annoyed at. 

The early signs have all been positive and this result is one that should hurt, but one we must move on quickly with our tie against SC Freiburg ahead of us on Thursday.

Motherwell exited the Premier Sports Cup at the first hurdle following a 1-0 defeat to William Hill Championship side Stenhousemuir.

Euan O’Reilly was the hero for the Warriors, scoring in extra-time to set up a quarter-final tie with Hearts.

Following their terrific result in the UEFA Conference League against HJK Helsinki on Thursday night, Alfred Johansson opted for rotation throughout his side. Making eight changes in total, Matty Connelly, Luca Ross, Jamie Knight-Lebel, Ewan Wilson, Olly Whyte, Mikey Booth and Willy Vogt all came in, with latest summer signing Joe Hodge making his debut in the middle of the pitch.

Over 1600 Motherwell fans were in the away end but would have been less than enthused with the early stages of the match. Marvin Bartley’s Stenhousemuir had a succession of corners in the first 20 minutes, with Connelly dealing with all the crosses into the penalty area, but the Steelmen were struggling to string together their usual fluid football on the sticky, dry surface.

The first notable attempt came after 20 minutes when Michael Anderson tried his luck with a left-footed effort from just inside the box, to the relief of Motherwell, who made an effort straight at Connelly, who gathered.

Motherwell’s first shot on target arrived after 36 minutes. Ibrahim Said showed his magic down the right-hand side and set Booth away; the ball came to Whyte, who struck cleanly but was straight at Darren Jamieson.

Just before the half-time mark, Said once again burst forward using his power and pace; he decided to shoot from distance but was well over the bar.

Motherwell made two changes at the half time interval, bringing on Emmanuel Longelo and Alex Lowry in place of Said and Wilson.

Despite the changes, Stenhousemuir started the brighter of the two sides in the second-half. Sam Young got himself on the end of a cross into the box in the back-post area; the knockdown caused an alarming moment in the penalty area with the ball ricocheting multiple times before Connelly gathered.

The Steelmen ventured forward after 54 minutes. There was nice build-up play involving Lowry, Vogt and Longelo which ended in Tawanda Maswanhise having a shot from 20 yards out; the strike skimmed off the turf and went wide of the target.

Gus Stevenson went close after the hour mark, as the Stenny man got on the end of a cross but volleyed over the bar. But Motherwell kept probing, and Booth found himself unmarked in the penalty box. He leaped to head towards goal from Regan Charles-Cook’s cross, but the youngster didn’t find the desired connection, with Jamieson comfortably catching the effort.

Knight-Lebel was next to have a chance on 78 minutes; the centre-back was able to rise above his marker, but his connection on the cross wasn’t clean. Vogt went close a minute later when he tried to curl the ball into the corner following good work from Ross and Lowry; the summer signing didn’t get enough curl on the strike, and it went wide.

Stenhousemuir really should have broken the deadlock with seven minutes of normal time remaining when Stevenson found himself 1v1 with Connelly as he raced towards goal, but he got it all wrong, and the chance disappeared.

Motherwell themselves had one more chance to win it in regulation time when on the counter-attack, Charles-Cook was slid the ball on the right-edge of the box, but the recovering Warriors backline managed to slide and block his strike before Lowry’s attempt trickled wide of the post.

With no goals in 90 minutes, the match went to extra-time and the home crowd were up on their feet as they thought Lewis O’Donnell had opened the scoring after his strike from distance beat Connelly, but the ball came crashing off the inside of the left-hand post before going across the line and away from goal.

It was Stenhousemuir again who went close in the first-half of extra time when Matty Aitken was free at the back-post, but he somehow missed the opportunity.

As the second-half of extra-time began, the momentum was most definitely with the hosts, and after 109 minutes of football, the deadlock was finally broken. A long throw-in fortuitously found itself with O’Reilly who, with appeals of handball, brought the ball down on the right-edge of the box and slotted it past Connelly to give his side a deserved lead.

There would be one more talking point when in the 111th minute, Charles-Cook looked to be clipped in the box with his back to goal, but referee Colin Steven didn’t blow for a foul despite heavy claims from all Motherwell players and staff around him.

In the end, the rest of the half passed without any major chances for Alfred Johansson’s side, who suffered their first competitive defeat of the season.

Motherwell Team: Connelly, Ross, Girdwood-Reich, Knight-Lebel, Wilson, Whyte, Hodge, Booth, Maswanhise, Vogt, Said.

Motherwell Subs: Paulsen, Moormann, Fadinger, Lowry, Charles-Cook, Koutroumbis, McAllister, Weir, Longelo.

The post-match thoughts of Alfred Johansson.